Wire connector



April 16, 9 6 J. PAVELKA 2,398,504

WIRE CONNECTOR Filed May 26, 1943 //v vew rag: JOSEPH PA VE'L KA,

Patented Apr. 16, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE CONNECTOR Joseph Pavelka, St. Louis, Mo.

Application May 26,1943, Serial No. 488,519 (01. 24-129) 6 Claims.

I bled where manufactured, as is the usual practice, may become disassembled in shipment and handling.

Another object is to maintain a tight clamping of the connected wires after the connector is applied.

The usual connector of the general type referred to consists of two or more members adapted to be assembledabout the wires to be connected. Then a clamping screw or bolt is applied to the members and tightened, forcing the wires together. The members may be hinged to each other or slidably assembled or may have no contact except through the clamping screw or bolt. In some connectors, the screw or bolt may form one of the members, thus reducing the number of parts, but usually such a connector is necessarily of relatively heavy construction to maintain its contour.

The present invention contemplates the formation of the connector from a single member in the form of an open link which may be applied transversely to the wires to be connected and has its ends crimped together by a suitable tool whereby the connected wires are clamped together.

The invention as thus described generally attains the above-mentioned objects and is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the connector in a preliminary stage of its production.

Figure 2 is an edge view of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an edge view of the structure in the next stage of its production and in the form in which it is shipped and first handled by the lineman or other user.

Figure 4 shows the connector applied over two wires and bent to bring its ends together with a crimping tool applied to the connector.

- Figure 5 shows the connector with its ends interengaged and crimped together and the clamping screw is threaded into the internested ends of the connector and may be threaded inwardly to clamp the wires together.

Figure 8 illustrates another form of the invention embodying a relatively wide strap having a series of spaced apart interconnected pairs of terminals provided with individual clamping screws for attachment of several branch wires to a main conduit.

The device illustrated in Figures 1-6 is made from an elongated rectangular strap-like member I, the ends of which are shaped to form arouate terminals 2 and 3 concaved at opposite sides of the strap, as shown in Figure 2. The strap is then doubled on itself, as shown in Figure 3 about a line extending transversely of its length, to provide the member with a V contour having legs 4 and 5 of different lengths, the space 6 between opposing elements oflegs 4 and 5 being adapted to permit the insertion into the V of two or more wires W (Figure 4) transversely of their length, whereupon the member may be bent further to bring its legs substantiall parallel, in which position the bottom of the arcuate terminal 2, which is offset from leg 4 the thickness of wires W, will contact leg 5 and the concave portion of terminal 3 will beopposite to terminal 2. A crimping tool T is then applied over the connector and wires and its screw S rotated by the handle H to slide block B towards the jaw J. The arcuate face B of block B is thrust against the arcuate external periphery of terminal 3 and forces the same upwardly and inwardly, as indicated in dot and dash lines, and finally crimps the terminals 2 and 3 together in the internested, interlocked position shown in Figure 5, thus forming a closed link connector which clamps the wires to each other and maintains the clamped relation of the wires indefinitely, it being understood that the material and thickness of member i is such that it will be form-sustaining irrespective of any tendencies to open the connector by normal pull or action of wires W.

Figure '7 illustrates a similar structure inwhich the wires are not clamped together by the internesting and crimping oi the ends 2' and 3' of the strap member I, but these parts are apertured and threaded to receive a screw 1 which may be tightened to press against the wires. The overlapping portions of terminals 2' and 3 will give relative to each other sufiiciently to set up a lock nut reaction against the threads of the screw I and thereby resist accidental loosening of the screw.

Figure 8 illustrates another form of the invention particularly adapted for the attachment of several branch wires W to a main conduit W. In this form of the invention, strap 8 is relatively wide in proportion to its length and its legs are recessed, as indicated at 9, with terminals l and II at each side of each recess being rebent, internested and crimped together, as the terminals previously described. Each internested pair of terminals is provided with an individual screw l2 corresponding to the screw 1 in Figure '7 and the individual branch wires may be separately inserted into the connector and clamped against the main conduit.

For the purposes of illustration, Figure 7 may be considered an end view of the arrangement shown in Figure 8, but it will be understood that Figure 7 also illustrates a device consisting of a relatively narrow strap, as shown in Figures 1-6, and adapted for a single pair of wires.

Also it will be understood that the multiple branch line attaching connector shown in Figure 8 may have its terminals'crimped together after the wires are applied and that the crimping may be relied upon to maintain the wires in contact and screws l2 may be eliminated. The assembly would then correspond to that shown in Figure 5.

I The details of the structure may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a wire connector device comprising an elongated straplike member bent substantially double, about a line extending transversely of its length, to form legs spaced apart a distance corresponding to the diameter of wires to be connected, the legs being of unequal length and each leg having a, terminal part forming a substantially semi-circular recess, the recess in the terminal part of the-shorter leg facing transversely of the leg and away from the space between the legs with the portion forming the bottom of the recess being ofiset from the body of the leg towards the other leg at depth corresponding to said distance, and the recess in the terminal part of the longer leg normally facing lengthwise of the leg towards said bending line and having an inside width corresponding to said depth.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a wire connector device comprising an elongated strap-like member bent substantially double about a line extending transversely of its length to form legs spaced apart to receive wires between them, the

legs being of unequal length and each leg having a terminal part forming a substantially semi-circular recess, the recess in the terminal part of the shorter leg facing transversely of the leg and away from the space between the legs with the portion forming the bottom of the recess being offset from the leg towards and contacting th other leg, and the recess in the terminal part of the longer leg facing lengthwise of the leg towards the said bending line and receiving between its sides the terminal part of the shorter leg.

3. A device as described in claim 2 in which the element forming the outer side of the recess in the shorter leg is unyieldingly gripped between the elements forming the opposite sides of the recess in the longer leg to form a permanently closed link.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a wire connector device omprising an elongated straplike member bent substantially double about a line extending transversely of its length to form legs spaced apart and of unequal length, the outer end ofeach leg of the member forming an arcuate terminal with the outer side of each terminal inserted between the sides of the other terminal and the terminals being erimped together and forming an unyielding closed joint between the legs,

5. A wire connector device as described in claim 2 in which the elements forming the sides of the leg terminals extend transversely of the link and are provided with a continuous threaded aperture extending therethrough lengthwise of the device and intermediate the planes of the legs, and a wire clamping screw inserted in said aperture.

6. A wire connector device as described in claim 2 in which the width of the strap-like member exceeds its length, the terminal parts being cut away at intervals across the width of the member to accommodate the insertion of a plurality, of separate wires between the sides of the device at spaced points, and individual wire clamping screws threaded through the sides of the remaining portions of the terminals and extending into the interior of the link to form a clamp for wires inserted therein.

JOSEPH PAVELKA. 

